Laurel Oak hoping Fireburn can hand them Slipper glory
While the global racing and breeding powerhouse, Godolphin took centre stage on Saturday when Daumier (Epaulette) landed the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), a Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) dream sprung to life for Laurel Oak Bloodstock when their homebred filly Fireburn (Rebel Dane) landed the Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick.
Navigating her way through bottomless track conditions for the first time in her career, the plain bay filly was explosive through the wet and extended her winning record to three straight.
The excitement that was shown by her trainer Gary Portelli during a television interview immediately after the race went a long way to lifting the spirits of many on what was a gloomy Autumn day in Sydney.
Not only is he now inching closer to potentially winning a second Golden Slipper, but he’s also doing it with a daughter of one of the most important horses in his training career thus far in multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Rebel Dane (California Dane).
Portelli succinctly described Fireburn’s performance as “just sensational” and seemed caught by pleasant surprise.
Her breeder and part-owner Louis Mihalyka, who watched the race from sunny Caulfield where he also had runners, admits he wasn’t expecting that type of outcome either.
“It was very exciting. Just incredible as it was such torrential rain at Randwick we didn’t think they would get to the third race so it was a relief that the race was even run,” said Mihalyka.
“For us, it was a massive thrill she won. It’s so good for the stallion and the mare Mull Over as it’s her first foal and now the owners could have their first Slipper runner.”
Fireburn is the result of a mating plan hatched by Mihalkya who thought Mull Over, a daughter of So You Think (High Chaparral), would work well with his stallion Rebel Dane who they were trying to get off the ground at the time.
“We bought Mull Over for $22,000 especially to go to Rebel Dane and now her first foal is a group winner and a chance for the Slipper. It makes up for the ones that don’t work out because there are plenty of those I promise you.
“You strive for moments like this when it all falls into place. Sometimes it doesn’t and we have had horses on Slipper trails and haven’t got there because they got shin sore or were not good enough, but this one has fallen into place so far and long may it continue,” he said.
When speaking with Mihalyka earlier this year after Fireburn’s win on New Year’s day at Randwick we discussed the Rebel Dane factor and the various challenges associated with raising his profile in a saturated and highly competitive stallion market.
As it turns out, Fireburn has become the ideal and most important flagbearer for her sire who has clearly stamped her with many of his own qualities in the looks and ability department.
“He wasn’t a sexy stallion when he went to stud. He didn’t have the pedigree but we supported him early in the first two years,” continued Mihalkya.
“His stock was hard to sell and we didn’t want to keep too many and the three we kept have turned out really well and one of them is Fireburn. His types are athletic but plain in appearance. Against superstar pedigree horses they look plain but they can run.”
And that’s about how Fireburn’s trainer Gary Portelli described the filly yesterday.
“She’s a quiet unassuming filly at home. No-fuss, no-nonsense with an amazing will and ability to catch whatever is in front of her,” said Portelli.
Fireburn is one of three home-bred Rebel Dane youngsters that Laurel Oak Bloodstock has wisely entrusted with Portelli at Warwick Farm.
“That is important. If you send a high-profile trainer a low-profile horse they don’t get really excited but Gary got excited the moment the first Rebel Dane walked through the door.
“He’s been excited from the time has had anything to do with them. Gary really was looking forward to getting to train them and getting more and loves them. He speaks very highly of them which is fantastic,” said Mihalyka.
Come March 19 at Rosehill when the $5 million Golden Slipper is run, Portelli could well be speaking even more highly of them.